ICE Looked at Derby for Office Space. Vermonters in the Kingdom Are Asking What That Means
A federal notice names Derby among sites ICE is scouting for office space. It surfaces as two ICE shootings in Maine and Texas sharpen nerves along the border.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has identified Derby as a possible site for office space, according to federal procurement records — one of two Vermont locations, alongside Williston, in a nationwide search underway since at least March.
No office has been confirmed, but the listing alone has surfaced worry in a corner of the state that already carries one of Vermont’s heaviest federal footprints.
What the record shows.
An ICE “sources sought” notice seeks what it calls “flexible workspace (private offices and/or workstations) for assigned ICE personnel at approved coworking locations” — desks, Wi-Fi, printing — for more than 300 personnel across roughly 90 sites nationwide, on a 12-month term. Derby is on the list. A related solicitation, set aside for small businesses, closed to bids May 26. The records describe office space, not detention.
One detail widens the map: the notice allows a substitute building within 45 miles of any listed city. In practice, “Derby” can reach Newport, Derby Line, and the towns around them — which is part of why the worry hasn’t stayed inside one town line.
What isn’t settled.
Being listed is not a decision. The notice says only “operational locations will move forward” and that the list is “subject to change.” As of July 15, no contract award for the requirement appears in federal spending records. Compass could not confirm whether Derby remains in the active requirement, which coworking site if any was approached, how many personnel it would host, or whether they would be new hires or transfers. Compass is pursuing multiple sources to learn more and will update this piece as it does.
Residents are already organizing.
A petition titled “No New ICE Offices in Derby or Newport, VT,” started May 22 by Marisa Diamond and addressed to Gov. Phil Scott and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, had drawn 294 signatures as of July 15. It rejects any long-term ICE presence in the two communities. A Westfield resident, who flagged the procurement to Compass, said she wrote to her county representatives and the congressional delegation opposing any expansion; she said she had not yet heard back.
Why it lands now.
The timing meets a raw moment. In the past week ICE agents fatally shot two men in two states — Joan Sebastian Guerrero, 26, in Biddeford, Maine, and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston — neither of whom, officials have said, was the intended target. Agents have since been directed to pause most traffic stops. For residents near the Canadian line, the prospect of a closer ICE presence reads against those headlines.
The footprint already here.
Border Patrol’s Newport Station covers more than 6,400 square miles; a port of entry operates at Derby Line; a CBP surveillance tower stands in Derby; ICE’s nearest field office is in St. Albans. Williston, the other Vermont entry, houses ICE’s Law Enforcement Support Center and a targeting center. Whatever “expansion” means here, it would be added to a stack that is already deep.
Documents: ICE sources-sought notice 70CMSW-033126 and solicitation 70CMSW26Q00000009, posted to SAM.gov.
ICE tactics are frequently violent, illegal and violate residents' right to due process. Innocent people have been killed. That is a critical concern for communities in our area, including mine. Thanks Tom for providing some perspective on the concern.
This is good news. ICE needs the facility to enforce the immigration laws passed by Congress.